No. 15 Mercer Steamrolls Visiting Presbyterian, Moves To 2-0

Saturday, September 5

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

2-0 , 0-0

Presbyterian

1-1 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Presbyterian	0	3	0	0	3
Mercer	20	21	7	14	62

No. 15 Mercer Steamrolls Visiting Presbyterian, Moves To 2-0

9/5/2026 11:29:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: Todd Anderson, anderson_t02@mercer.edu

MACON – Senior Jaylen King threw for four touchdowns and ran for two others to lead a raucous first-half effort for 15^th-ranked Mercer as the Bears racked up 600 yards of total offense in a dominant 62-3 victory over visiting Presyterian on Saturday evening at Five Star Stadium.

It was the 22^nd win in the last 26 home outings for the Orange & Black (2-0) who finished off its big offensive night with 329 yards on the ground and 271 through the air. It was the fourth loss in the last five series matchups for the Blue Hose (1-1) who were held to their fewest points since a 28-3 loss at San Diego on Oct. 28, 2022.

THE BASICS

SCORE: Mercer 62, Presbyterian 3
RECORDS: Mercer 2-0 (0-0 SoCon); Presbyterian 1-1 (0-0 PFL)
LOCATION: Macon, Ga. (Five Star Stadium)

HOW IT HAPPENED

1ST QUARTER

Mercer needed just more than two minutes to march 50 yards in just five plays on the way to tacking up the first score of the evening. Jaylen King moved the hosts into the red zone on a 13-yard pass to Brayden Smith, and then finished off the touchdown drive with a 16-yard sprint to the goal line. MU 7, PC 0

The Bears, again, worked quickly on their next possession and culminated a 3-play, 57-yard touchdown drive with Jaylen King's 51-yard scoring strike to Brayden Smith. The drive milked just 64 seconds off of the game clock. MU 13, PC 0

5^th year player Zahmari Palode-Gary took his turn shouldering the offensive load on the following drive for Mercer, rushing for 28 yards on the first two carries of the possession. Jaylen King took the baton after that, however, completing both of his pass attempts for 56 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown toss to Eric Rasheed. MU 20, PC 0

TOUCHDOWN BEARS‼️@BraydensmithMU gets loose for a 51-yard touchdown! 🫡

Mercer 13, Presbyterian 0#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/wRhWSMBvu1
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 5, 2026

2ND QUARTER

Jaylen King was impressive again amid Mercer's initial drive in the second quarter, completing three of his four passing attempts on the 10-play, 80-yard drive, while also adding runs of 3, 6 and 13 yards. King inevitably capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Albee. MU 27, PC 0

Kel Calixte's blocked punt 10 seconds later set the Bears up at the Presbyterian 14-yard line, and it did not take long to add to the scoring barrage. Jaylen King called his own number on both plays of the short possession, including a 12-yard touchdown run up the middle. MU 34, PC 0

Presbyterian finally scratched the scoreboard on the ensuing possession, driving 54 yards on eight plays before settling for a 38-yard field goal from Kade Bailey. Landon Sharpe completed four passes for 54 yards on the possession, including a 24-yard strike to Caleb Johnson that moved the Blue Hose all the way down to the Mercer 24-yard line. MU 34, PC 3

The Bears needed just 34 seconds to put additional points on the board right before the half. The Jaylen King-to-McCord Purdy connection ate up 36 yards on the first two plays of the drive, while Jaylen King's 14-yard touchdown pass to Travion Solomon gave the hosts a 41-3 advantage heading into the locker rooms. MU 41, PC 3

BLOCKED PUNT ‼️#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/CULI5phR7v
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 5, 2026

3RD QUARTER

Devon Caldwell carried a bulk of the load to give Mercer its first points of the second half late in the third quarter. The freshmen carried the ball five times for 54 yards to move the Bears down to the Presbyterian 28-yard line before JP Pickles took care of the rest with a 26-yard scoring scamper that extended the lead. MU 48, PC 3

TOUCHDOWN BEARS ‼️@JPPickles19 with the 26-yard rushing touchdown! 💨

3Q | 0:54
Mercer 48, Presbyterian 3#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/hsFXVFds31
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 6, 2026

4TH QUARTER

Presbyterian's fumble at its own 15-yard line on the opening play of the fourth quarter set Mercer up in the short field again, and the Bears did not disappoint. Devon Caldwell pushed Mercer forward with a 3-yard gainer on second down, and JP Pickles connected with Kel Calixte on a 12-yard touchdown pass on 3^rd-and-7 to keep the scoring party going strong. MU 55, PC 3

A stalled drive near midfield, coupled with a 37-yard punt that pinned them inside the 20-yard line late in the fourth quarter did not deter the Bears. Devon Caldwell burst through his offensive front and registered an 83-yard touchdown jaunt down the far sideline to cap the scoring on the night. MU 62, PC 3

The longest touchdown run in program history! 👏@Devon21caldwell just took it 83 yards to the house to break the school record!

4Q | 7:38
Mercer 62, Presbyterian 3#ATTACK pic.twitter.com/eMbrnbZfvz
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) September 6, 2026

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

+ Jaylen King threw for 236 yards and four touchdowns on 12-of-15 passing in the first half, while also adding 48 rushing yards and two additional scores by the halftime break as well. He finished the night with a 300.2 passing efficiency rating which ranks as the second-best single-game mark in program history.
+ Freshman Devon Caldwell carried the ball 11 times for 152 yards, including a school-record 83-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He also had a 33-yard scamper in the third period.
+ Senior Brayden Smith caught five passes for 132 yards, including a 51-yard scoring reception in the first quarter. It is the third 100+-yard receiving game for Smith who caught nine passes for 131 yards last week against East Texas A&M.
+ Sophomore Jyarius Carter, 5^th year Delano Marcelus and freshman Ronin Dangler all registered a team-best seven tackles, while sophomore Aiden Holewski, senior Kehinde Akintunde and freshman Aaryn Askew all tallied a sack.

NOTABLES

+ Mercer turned in 600 or more yards of total offense for just the seventh time in program history, but the second time in the last two seasons (829 vs. VMI in 2025). The Bears' 329 rushing yards are the 10^th-most in school history, but Saturday's ground performance was the best for the Orange & Black since totaling a school-record 539 rushing yards against Point in the 2021 season opener.
+ The Bears averaged 11.3 yards on 53 total plays on Saturday, the second best per-play average in program history behind only last season's 11.7 yards per play against VMI. Sophomore Kel Calixte also had a blocked punt, MU's first blocked kick since the 2024 campaign.
+ Mercer scored touchdowns on nine of its 11 possessions on the night, including a 2-for-3 success rate inside the red zone. The Bears totaled 10 runs of 10 or more yards, while also tallying seven receptions of 15 or more yards.

UP NEXT

Mercer will close out its season-opening 3-game home stand next Saturday (September 12) when it opens Southern Conference play against Furman (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) at Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and tickets are still available for purchase at MercerBears.com/Tickets.

STAY CONNECTED

Follow Mercer Football on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Football on Facebook.

SUPPORT THE BEARS

Support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, email maf@mercer.edu.